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Dr. Van Hecke is originally from Canton, Mississippi. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. After a research internship at the University of Portsmouth, England, Dr. Van Hecke completed her doctoral work in Developmental Psychology at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Dr. Van Hecke then received a Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institute of Mental Health to complete a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Dr. Van Hecke enjoys reading, traveling, playing croquet, and cooking Southern food for her husband, her daughters, and friends in her spare time.

Education

Ph.D., University of Miami
B.A., Smith College

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

Dr. Van Hecke’s specialty is developmental psychology and neuroscience, with an emphasis on typical and atypical social development across the lifespan. In particular, Dr. Van Hecke is interested in brain activity, heart rate regulation, and social behavior in infants, and in teenagers and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Her past studies have focused on topics such as the development of eye contact behavior, temperament, and social skills in typically developing infants, and the activation of the brain and regulation of the heart in response to familiar and unfamiliar people in children with high-functioning autism. Dr. Van Hecke currently utilizes high-density electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, fMRI, and DTI) to record brain activity and structure in adolescents and young adults with autism. Her current work involves understanding how friendship/relationship development interventions, such as the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS: Laugeson & Frankel, 2010), affects brain structure, brain activity, anxiety, and social behavior in adolescents and young adults with autism. She is particularly interested in how remediating social isolation enhances or changes neural activity and structure. A secondary focus in Dr. Van Hecke’s lab includes a community collaborative project to ensure access to high-quality autism diagnostic screening and services for underserved, inner-city children in Milwaukee.

PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

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